Spain vs Saudi Arabia Preview
Spain will want a World Cup response after dropping points against Cape Verde. Lamine Yamal can make an impact and score in a likely La Roja triumph against Saudi Arabia.
3 Goals in 3 for Lamine Yamal
- Spain have won 7 of their last 11 matches.
- Spain have seen BTTS in 2 of their last 3 games.
- Spain’s Lamine Yamal has scored 3 goals in his last 3 starts.
H2H - Spain Dominant
Spain have won all three previous encounters against Saudi Arabia.
Spain Looking to Bounce Back at the World Cup
Luis de la Fuente’s Spain are hard-to-beat and haven’t lost in their last 31 games, winning 21.
La Roja completed their World Cup qualification campaign with five wins from six and scored 21 goals. The European outfit then beat Serbia 3-0 before drawing against Egypt 0-0 and Iraq 1-1.
Spain hit back with a comfortable 3-1 triumph against Peru in their final World Cup warm-up match.
De la Fuente’s side couldn’t build on the Peru win and drew 0-0 against Cape Verde in Group H. La Roja dominated with 2.1 XG, 27 shots and 74% possession and couldn’t find the breakthrough.
Saudi Arabia Rarely Win
Saudi Arabia have struggled for consistency after winning just one of their previous nine games in all competitions.
The Green Falcons were on a four-match losing streak, conceding nine. They responded with a 3-0 friendly victory against Puerto Rico and a 0-0 stalemate with Senegal.
Georgios Donis’ outfit played out a 1-1 draw against Uruguay in their 2026 World Cup opener. Abdulelah Al Amri scored in the first half before Saudi Arabia allowed 1.72 XG and conceded with 10 minutes left.
Predicted Starting Lineups & Team News
Spain (4-2-3-1): Unai Simon; Marcos Llorente, Pau Cubarsi, Aymeric Laporte, Marc Cucurella; Fabian Ruiz, Rodri, Pedri; Lamine Yamal, Mikel Oyarzabal, Nico Williams
Forward duo Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams recovered from recent injuries and featured off the bench against Cape Verde.
Luis de la Fuente confirmed that Yamal is back to full fitness and said, “Lamine is in perfect condition.”
“He makes it to the [first game] in the physical condition we expected him to. He has trained excellently, and we have all players available.”
Saudi Arabia (4-4-2): Mohammed Al Owais; Saud Abdulhamid, Abdulelah Al Amri, Hassan Tambakti, Moteb Al Harbi; Saleh Abu Al Shamat, Mohamed Kanno, Abdullah Al Khaibari, Salem Al Dawsari; Firas Al Buraikan, Musab Al Juwayr
Saudi Arabia have no injuries or suspensions.